Education in Germany

Old Tradition

Germany is home to some of the world's oldest universities - Heidelberg (1386 AD) , Freiburg (1457 AD), Tübingen (1477 AD), Leipzig (1409 AD).

Germany is a country which highly values education and vocational training, research and the sciences. It has one of the world's best and most extensive school and university systems. The country has produced Nobel Prize winners, to name few great scientists Albert Einstein, Max Planck, Otto Hahn, Heisenberg, Röntgen, Fahrenheit, Emil Fischer, Gauss, Zuse, Daimler, Wernher von Braun, Lilienthal turned their dream true here, high-level scientific work is undertaken here, international projects are promoted, and students from all over the world study here.

Germany appeals to young people from all over the world as a place to study. About 246,000 foreign students are enrolled at German universities. Today, more than every tenth student comes from abroad, the largest numbers coming from eastern Europe and China. Germany is the third most preferred host country for international students, following the United States and UK.

University

Universities in Germany are part of the Free State education system, which means that there are very few private universities and colleges. On the whole one can say that German university students largely choose their own study program and professors choose their own subjects for research and teaching. This elective system often has resulted in extra-long stays at university before graduation and is currently under review. But it is still in force and must be considered when planning to study in Germany. There are no fixed classes of students who study together and graduate together. Students change universities according to their interests and the strengths of each university. Sometimes students attend two, three or more different universities in the course of their studies. This mobility means that at German universities there is a freedom and individuality unknown in the USA, the UK or France.

Moreover, an increasing number of departments are switching their courses over to culminate in internationally recognized Bachelor's and Master's degrees. By 2010, all universities should have adopted this new degree policy - as stipulated in the Bologna Declaration , to which all European states are signatories. The idea is not only to facilitate student exchanges throughout the continent, but also to make Europe a more interesting prospect for overseas academics.

Students on both sides of the Atlantic may often be unaware of the differences between the two countries. Generally, it can be said that Germany does not have "colleges" in the sense that is used in the US. What is learned at a US college, is partly taught at secondary schools, partly at university in Germany. This is part of the reason for the additional 13th year of school. The final 2-3 years partly function as an equivalent of the first two years at US colleges. Once they graduate, students go on to university. There they directly start a specific subject.

The Gymnasium graduation (Abitur) opens the way to any university. There are no entrance examinations, no SAT etc. Your "Abiturdurchschnittsnote" (GPA) is all you need to get a placement at the institution you prefer. This Abitur GPA also means that you will not be accepted at all universities, for if there are too many applicants they are chosen by GPA rank. This is called numerous clausus (restricted number), yet is restricted to very few especially popular subjects. If you want to study medicine you ought to be very good (GPA 1.0 to 1.5, equivalent to 4.0 - 3.5 in >USA). Otherwise your Abitur opens the way to any and all universities.

If they have successfully studied at university for two years (after a Zwischenprüfung/Vordiplom, roughly corresponding to the Bachelor degree level, but not a degree), students can transfer to the USA or other countries for graduate studies. Usually they finish studies after 4-6 years with a degree called the Diplom which is equivalent to an M.A .or M.Sc.

Fachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences)

There is, however, another type of post-Abitur university-like training available in Germany: the Fachhochshulen (University of Applied Science), which now offer many similar degrees like proper universities, but often concentrate (as the English name suggests) on applied science as opposed to basic research and purely academic subjects. They are much more like colleges in their structure since people start their courses together and graduate (more or less) together and there is little choice in their schedule. To get on-the-job experiences, internship semesters are a mandatory part of studying at a Fachhochschule. After about 4 years (depending on how a student arranges the courses he takes over the course of his studies, and on whether he has to repeat courses) a Fachhochschule student has a complete education and can go right into specialized working life. Fachhochschule graduates receive a title that starts with "Dipl." (Diploma) and ends with "(FH)", e.g. "Dipl. Ing. (FH)" for a graduate engineer from a Fachhochschule. For many purposes, a FH degree is equivalent for a university degree, and some employers prefer FH degrees. However, a university degree is still more prestigious, and an FH degree does not usually qualify the holder for a Ph.D. program directly -- most universities require an additional entrance exam or participation in theoretical classes from FH candidates.

Tuition Fee - Friendly to your portemonnaie !

Perhaps one of the most important differences: Until Winter semester 2006, there was no tuition fee at all. All courses at the ca 250 universities and Fachhochschulen were - like any school in Germany - free. You might also say the government offered a kind of scholarship to everyone.

In January 2005, a Federal Constitutional Court resolution eliminated the taboo, namely that university studies were free of charge. Hitherto, in Germany it has been (almost) only the state that covers the costs of higher education. If German universities wish to remain competitive, then in future students must also make a contribution toward them, or so the professors and politicians insist. Thus All states in West except Rhineland Palatinate charge a low tuition fee of € 500 per semester, whereas east still remains free.

You do have to pay for your room and board plus your books. You must get an obligatory student health insurance (€ 56 per month) and you always have to pay for some other social services for students (€ 40-100 per semester). Often this includes free public transport in and around the university town. There are cheap rooms for students built by the Studentenwerk, an independent non-profit organization partially funded by the state. These may cost ca. € 180 per month, without any food. Otherwise an apartment can cost you € 500, but often students share apartments by 3 people. Food is about € 100, well also depends on your habit ;) .

Scholarship

Since the University education is so cheap, there are no university-sponsored scholarships in Germany. If you calculate you will notice that it is similar to what you paid at Intermediate level or +2 in Nepal. But still a number of private and public institutions hand out scholarships, usually to cover cost of living and books.

Living

Most students will move to the university town if it is far away. Getting across Germany from Flensburg to Konstanz takes a full day (1000 km or 620 miles). But, as said above, there is no "staying on campus" in Germany because for historical reasons most campuses are scattered all over the city. Traditionally university students rented a private room in town. This was his home away from home. That is no longer the standard but you can still find it. One third to one half of the students work to make a little extra money, often resulting in a longer stay at university.

Figures for Germany are roughly:

• 1,000,000 new students at all schools put together for one year
• 300,000 Abitur graduations
• 30,000 doctoral dissertations per year
• 1000 habilitations per year (qualification to become a professor)

University degrees: Most courses lead up to a diploma called Diplom or Magister and these are about the same as the Master degree (after a minimum of 4 to 5 years). The doctoral degree usually takes another 3-5 years, with no formal classes, but independent research under the tutelage of a single professor. Most doctoral candidates work as teaching- or research assistants, and are paid a reasonably competitive salary. This is different in medicine, where a M.D. is (effectively) required for work and hence a more streamlined process applies.